


The Abyss of the Soul

by Listless_Songbird



Series: You Deserve This [2]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Angst, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Second Person, Spoilers for the Fae wild arc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-27
Updated: 2016-10-27
Packaged: 2018-08-27 08:05:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8393740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Listless_Songbird/pseuds/Listless_Songbird
Summary: Orthax finally has his talons in Percival and there's more than one way to break the soul.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger warning for death and internalized blame.
> 
> Please take care of yourself and dont read this if it'll be bad for you

You died.

Rationally you know this. You fell and there was a flash of golden light then suddenly you were breathing again. _Remember?_ It was the amulet Pike gave you. Another second chance you aren't sure you deserve. It was given to you and this means you can protect the others, so you try to get up, try to return to the battle. 

* * *

  
Suddenly the world goes white. You hear a guttural growl and a scream and no they cant die this is your fight. This is supposed to be your penance. But your world is white, so something must have happened. You must have gotten blinded again. You feel around by your feet and, Aha! You found your gun. Quickly standing you listen closely, trying to pick out a direction when Ripley pops back in.

Something hits you from behind and once again you're on the ground. But when you stand, your vision is back. Its slightly blurred but at least you can see.  And oh god now you wish you couldn't because Ripley is lining up a shot and she fires. The round explodes out the side of Keyleth’s neck and you scream. You try to run to her but your feet are stuck and you can’t move. Keyleth slumps to the ground and why cant you move if you could get to her you could do something you have to-.

Your thoughts grind to a halt as a second shot rings out. You whip around, wondering how can you move so fast now, when you couldn’t protect Keyleth? A third shot rings out and you hear Vax shouting and oh gods, Vex'ahlia is laying broken on a mound of shattered glass. Black smoke pouring from the hole in her chest. Even as you watch she stands again, but now the smoke is covering her hands and her eyes as they stare at you are black as pitch. You cant think, you can’t breathe this cant be happening. You open your mouth to try to beg, fro whatever is doing this to take you instead but as you gasp and scream nothing comes out.

  
Vex takes aim and fires. Black smoke pouring down the arrow leaving a trail of shadow in its wake. The arrow strikes true. Vax reaches up and grasps the blackened arrow coming out of his throat. As he touches it the smoke spills over his hand. You watch in horror as Vax ducks away, only a whisp of smoke to show where he’d been.

Ripley laughs, harsh and grating and you want to fall to your knees and weep but you feel something climbing up your legs. You look down you see black vines twisting and grasping up your thighs. You don’t want to see the source of these vines, you can't see the woman you consider your best friend in the thralls of this. So you look elsewhere.  You can only watch as Scanlan backs up to Grog, a wild look in his eye as the two of them frantically search the tree line. You try to shout out There! when you see Vax behind the tree, but once again nothing comes out. Scanlan raises his hand, and the magic purple energy begins to pool in his palm, but suddenly Vax is upon him driving his knife down into Scanlan’s shoulder.

You don’t want to see this. This cant be happening. You try to close your eyes, only to find that nothing changes, you can still see everything. Helplessly you watch as Scanlan’s arm is severed and he too is consumed by black.

  
Only Grog is left but then you hear one last gunshot and Grog topples over, one eye completely gone. From behind him you see Ripley standing next to Vex'ahlia with a hand on her hip as Vex'ahlia holds the still smoking gun. Ripley waves a dismissive hand and the smoke dissipates. All of Vox Machina collapse like puppets with cut strings.

Ripley walks up to you and looks you up and down. Then she turns and walks away, saying nothing.

The vines around your legs vanish and you collapse. This was your fault. You made the gun. You made the pact. You brought them all here. Its all on you. Everyone is dead and Orthax is still out there. Ripley is free.

Everything is. Your. Fault.

As you think that, the silken whisper you tried to restrict to your nightmares comes from everywhere at once.

 

“ _And with that, we can begin._ ” Orthax’s voice grows sharper and you flinch as it says “ _Just remember, everything that happens now is your fault._ ”

**Author's Note:**

> Catching a theme in this series? What should Orthax do next, be inventive!


End file.
